Endless Summer: Hot Dog Extravaganza

Need new ideas on how to top your hot dogs? A squirt of ketchup and mustard not satisfying your inner foodie? I’ve got three trendy and delicious ideas on how to make your hot dogs the stars of your Labor Day weekend!

Are you grilling out this weekend at home with family or traveling to meet up with friends and enjoy Labor Day together? If you’re grilling, you’re in for a treat! This post is all about grilling up some of the best hot dogs in the market and creating a varieties of hot dogs unlike the usual mustard-relish topping combination. These will have your tastebuds craving for more and will creatively take you on trips to Mexico, Korea, and Italy!

Did I mention “the best hot dogs in the market”? Wondering which those are? For us, it’s Applegate hot dogs. Applegate Organic & Natural Meats is a company I’ve recently discovered and will honestly never go back to buying anything else. From their Natural Sunday Bacon, that I love in my Bacon Yogurt Cream Pasta, to these Natural Big Apple Hot Dogs, here at the Murray household – we are true fans. Not only are their products organic and/or natural, their standards are super high: no fillers, no antibiotics, no artificial ingredients, no nitrates or nitites added. So we decided to whip up some culinary delights; a few hot dogs that will make you look twice at the way you eat your dogs.

Grilling your hot dogs: remove thawed hot dogs from package and gently score both sides. Place directly on the grill, flipping over to get great grill marks on both sides. Depending on the size, hot dogs will take from 5 to 8 minutes to cook. Oh and we grilled the Natural Big Apple Hot Dogs, which took around 4-5 minutes to cook. What we loved the most about these dogs? Their snap – made them so addicting to eat!

Mexican Guacamole Hot Dog

If you’re a cilantro lover, this one is for you! Topped with fresh cilantro and a Mexican-style guacamole, this hot dog will have you packing your sunscreen and heading to Mexico!

How to make the guacamole: mash one avocado and stir in one small, diced red onion. Fold in half a cup fresh corn kernels (cooked or raw, whatever you prefer!) and season with salt, black pepper, cumin, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

To serve: butter and toast your bread bun and split the top open. Slather with your favorite black bean dip, place a hot dog inside and top with guacamole and fresh cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

Korean Ramen Hot Dog

This could be the next big trend – after the Ramen Burger of course. If you’re a fan of spicy foods and good ole ramen from a package, this might just be your dream come true. Layered with flavors that balance each other, like quick pickled cucumber slices, fresh jalapeños, warm ramen noodles, and a healthy drizzle of Sriracha, this hot dog was probably my all-time favorite.

To serve: Previously cook ramen noodles as usual, draining the liquid and reserving the noodles. To make a quick cucumber pickle, thinly slice cucumbers lengthwise (or use a mandolin) and dunk the slices in white wine vinegar for at least 15 minutes. When ready to serve, place a good amount of ramen noodles in the toasted bun and proceed to layer with the hot dog, pickled cucumber, jalapeños, and a good drizzle of Sriracha!

Italian Caprese Hot Dog

Let’s fly to Italy and talk about this hot dog, shall we? You can’t even SEE the hot dog in the picture above and the reason is the only thing I love more than a hot dog is fresh mozzarella. So we decided to smother this hot dog with fresh mozzarella, a basil-arugula mayonnaise, fresh tomatoes from the garden, and a drizzle of our current favorite balsamic, Mandarano Balsamic Glaze. Don’t all those ingredients scream ITALIA?! Here’s how to make it.

Basil-Arugula Mayonnaise: throw a cup of mayonnaise in the blender, add a bunch of fresh basil and crispy arugula and blend! Drizzle in three tablespoons of good olive oil. Voila!

To serve: place fresh arugula leaves inside the toasted bun. Go inside with the hot dog and top with mozzarella – throw under the broiler for 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Go back outside and place hot dog inside bun. Top with basil-arugula mayonnaise, fresh tomatoes, and balsamic glaze. Ciao!

Disclaimer: Applegate sent me some of their hot dogs to taste but I was under no obligation to create these awesomely delicious hot dogs. I did it because I had to share the love with y’all.